Squeegee apparatus



Nov. 16 1926. 1,607,417

w. B. WESCOTT soussenn APPARATUS Original Fild Dec. 7, 1917 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 3/ WM QLMW I dif s.

Nov. 16 ,1926. I, 1,607,417

W. B. WESCOTT' SQUEEGEE APPARATUS Original Filed 'Dec. 7, 1917 2 SheetS -Sheet 2 117432212111 17830012; y M m w flfiys a division of mybeing removed.

Patented Nov. 16, 19 26. v

UNITED STATES ;g1, 07,41 7'; PATENT 'oFF cEL- WILLIAM B. WESCOTT, or QUINCY, MASSACHUSETTS, assrenon ro 'rncnmcomn MOTION PICTURE CORPORATION, 101 BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

SQUEEGEE APPARATUS;

Original application filed December 7, 1917, Serial No. 205,999. Divided and this application filed September 29, 1922. Serial No. 591,338.

This invention relates to photography moval of superficial liquid vfrom strip films, especially cinematographic films, this being copending application Serial No. 205,999, filed December 7, 1917. Objects of the invention are to remove surface l'quidfrom strip films as they issue from liq id treatment tanks, tosqueegee 10 such films without deleterious efi'ect upon the emulsion or photographic deposit thereon and without injury to or mutilation of the films themselves, and in general to provide apparatus of the character described adapted to facilitate and expedite the liquidtfireatmen't of long lengths of cinematographic lms. In the accompanying. drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of one form of squeegee apparatus embodying the invention Figure 2 is a vertical transverse section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Figure 3 is a vertical longitudinal section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; I

Figure 4 is a vertical transversesection of a modified form of squeegee apparatus;

Figure .5 is a vertical longitudinal section taken on line -5,-5 of Fig. 4, certain parts One embodiment of the invention, shown for the purpose of illustration comprises a series of rollers or pulleys 87 88, 89 and 90, and over these pulleys a belt 91 of chamois or other suitable absorbent material is mounted to travel in a clockwise directionl (Fig. 2) as indicated by the arrow. The pulleys 88 and 89 are geared together by means of gears 92 and 93 and the pulley 89 is connected to a drive shait 42 at the top of the tank E by means of a chain 94. Thus, the pulleys 88 and 89 are driven fromthe shaft 42 and the'pulleys 87 and .90 are adapted to b'e driven by the belt 91. As the film F travels upwardly from the tank E '9 .over a film g'uidetpulley 58 at the top of the tank, it is engage on its outer emulsion side by he chamois belt 91 which is held in contact with the film by means of the roller 90,

the roller 90 being pivotally mounted on they bracket 86-by means of arm 96 and being urged toward the pulley 58 by virtue of the weight of the-pulley 90 and the arm 96. Inasmuch as the chamois belt 91 travels downwardly between. pulleys 90 and 58 while the film F travels upwardly therebetween, the chamois belt is so drawn over the film as to remove a large proportion of the solution clinging to the film. Afterthe belt-91 passes around the pulley 87 it passes upwardly between the. rollers 88 and 89. The rollers 88 and 89 are mounted in close relationship so that the space therebetween is very small and as the belt passes therebetween it is compressed between the rollers 20 as to remove most of the solution thererom.

For threading aifilm through a machine adapted for the continuous treatment of films and for supporting a film during its ferred to, the film being attached to the:

belt or cable by suitable means such as a 'clip. In order to prevent this clip from engaging the chamois belt 91 as it passes between the pulley 58 and the roller 90, I provide a plate 98 which is mounted transversely beneath the roller 90 upon arcuate arms 99 depending from the arms 96 at'the opposite ends of roller 90. The chamois belt 91 travels between the arms 99 and above the plate 98 and as the clip attached to the film F passes upwardly toward the roller 90 it engages the under surface of the plate 98 and lifts the roller away from the pulley 58 sothat the clipfmay ass between the'roller and the pulley wit out injuring the chamois belt. As the pulley 90' swings upwardly on arms 96 the tension would be removed from the chamois belt 91 in the absence of'means for preventing this condition. I therefore provide such preventing means which, in the illustrated embodiment of the invention, comprises a vertically disposed arm 101 pivoted to the bracket 86 at 102 and carrying on its lower end the pulley 87. At its upper end the arm 101 is connected to a tension spring 103. a

the spring being connected to the bracket 86 at its other end. The sprin 103 is so tensioned as to tend rotate t e arm 101 in a clockwise direction. about pivot 102,

thereby applying a tension to the belt 91. As the tension on the belt .91 is released by the roller 90 moving upwardly as the clip.

passes thereunder, the spring 103 moves. the pulley 87 to the left so as to malntain a suitable tension upon the chamois belt.

In order to supplement the action of the chamois belt, 91 I preferably provide means for engaging the celluloid side of the film.

F before the film reaches the pulley 58. In the illustrated embodiment this means comprises'a soft rubber pad104 mounted at 118 in suc one side of the path of the film by means of a bracket 106. As, the film slides over the pad 104 most of the solution on the celluloid side is thereby removed.

A modified form of the squeegee mechanism is illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 as attached to the top of a wash tank E. The

modified mechanism comprises a series of.

together by a set of gears 113 and the roller" 108 is connected to the shaft 42' disposed at the top of the wash tank E by means of a chain 114 travelling over sprocket wheels 116 and 117. In opposition to the roller 111 on the opposite side of the film F is mounted a pad 1180f soft rubber or other suitable material in the bracket 119. The roller 111 is pivotally mounted on a pair of arms 121 which are pivotally mounted on the bracket 122 at 123. Extending horizontally from at least one of the arms 121 at the pivot 123 is an arm 124 adapted to carry an adjustable weight 126, the 1 Weight 1.26 being adapted to urge the roller 111 in a clockwise direction (Fig. 4) about the axis 123 toward the pad 118. The film travels upwardly over film guide pulley 58? and the chamois belt 112 travels downwardly between the roller 111 and the pad manner as to remove substantially all of the water clinging to the surface of the film F. The pulley 109 is mounted beneath the surface of the water in the wash tankE', so that the belt 112 after engaging with the film F at roller 111 passes downwardly through "the water in tank E so as to be rinsed thereby. After passing through the Water in tank E the .belt travels upwardly between the pulleys 107 and 108 and is there so compressed as to remove most of the water carried thereby.

Thus when the belt reaches the film F at pulley 111 it is comparatively dry.

- In order to prevent the clip attached to the film F from engaging thebelt 112, I preferably mount on extensions 127 of arms 121 a transverse plate 128, the plate being disposed between the belt 112 and the film so as to be engaged on its under surface y the clip on the film as it passes therealong, thereby swinging the roller 111 away from the pad 118 around the pivot 123.

I claim:

1. Photographic apparatus for treating films comprising a stop and a roller disposed in juxtaposition to the stop with the opposing faces of the stop and .roller substantially in parallelism, a strip of absorbent material contacting with at least that portion of the periphery of the roller facing the stop and arranged to move with the roller, the stop and roller being so spaced apart that when a film is passed therebe-' tween it is engaged on one side by the stop and on the other side by the absorbent material. I

2. Photographic apparatus for treating films comprising a stop and a roller disposed in juxtaposition to the stop with the opposing faces of the stop and roller substantially'in parallelism, a strip of absorbent material contacting with at least that portion of the periphery of the roller facing the stop and arranged tomove with the roller, the stop and roller being so spaced apart that when a film is passed therebetween it is engaged on one side by the stop and on the other side by the absorbent material, and means to move the pulley and absorbent material in the direction opposite to the movement of the film.

3. Photographic apparatus for treatingfilms comprising stops disposed in juxtaposition with their opposingfaces substantially parallel, a strip of absorbent material, andmeans for passing said strip over one eing so spaced apart that when a film is passed therebetween it is engaged on one side by said strip, it being held against said strip by the opposing stop.

4. Photographic apparatus for treating films comprising stops disposed in juxta position with their opposing faces substantially parallel, a strip of absorbent material,

means for passing said strip over one of said opposing faces of the stops 1n one dlrection,

and means for passing a film between theof said opposing faces of the stops, the stops stops in the other direction, the stops being the stops being so spaced apart that when a film is passed therebetween it is held against said strip by the opposing stop, and means 20 squeegee member, means for for at least partially drying said strip after its passage from the stops.

6. Photographic apparatus for treating films comprising a' roller, a stop arranged 5 in juxtaposition to the roller so that the op posing faces of the roller and stop are substantially parallel, a second roller, an endless belt arranged to be fed continuously around said rollers and between the first 10 roller and said stop, the stop and first roller being so spaced apart that when a film is passed therebetween it is held against said strip by the stop, and a third roller arranged in juxtaposition to the second roller 1 for compressing said strip as it passes therebetween. 7'.Photograph1c apparatus for treating films comprlslng a squeegee member means for passing a film along one side of the yieldingly urging the squeegee member against the film. and means connecting with the squeegee member for throwing the member away from the film, the said means being disposed in advance of the member adjacent the film so that a clip or the like on the film will engage the means as it approaches the member, thereby to throw the member awayfrom the'film while the clip or the like passes the member.

8. A mechanical wiping attachment for 

